Insight ::: 04.24.2023

An American Tail the Musical

Children’s Theatre Company (CTC) recently announced the complete cast and creative team for the highly-anticipated World Premiere An American Tail the Musical. With a book and lyrics by Tony Award ®-winning playwright Itamar Moses (The

Bands Visit), and music & lyrics by Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler (Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical, The Secret of My Success), the production will feature music supervision by Andrea Grody (The Band’s Visit and Tootsie on Broadway), and

choreography by Katie Spelman (World Premiere Musical The Notebook). An American Tail the Musical will be directed by Taibi Magar (We Are Proud To Present at Guthrie Theatre; We Live in Cairo at A.R.T; Anna Deavere Smith’s Twilight: Los Angeles at Signature Theatre; Co-Artistic Director of Philadelphia Theatre Company).

In An American Tail the Musical, an army of cats forces young Fievel Mousekewitz and his family to escape from Russia by boat.

When a storm at sea separates them, Fievel arrives alone in the vast city of New York.

In this riveting new musical based on the beloved animated film, the steadfastly optimistic Fievel makes his way as a new immigrant, encountering friends and foes (including a few scenestealing cockroaches!). Despite everything stacked against him, Fievel clings to his dreams of a better life and reuniting with his family. Are they Somewhere Out There?

Packed with familiar songs and characters from the film, plus some captivating new characters, expanded story, and new songs from Tony-award winner Itamar Moses and the songwriting team that brought you Diary of a Wimpy Kid the Musical, this spectacular, mustsee musical is sure to be an unforgettable experience for the entire family!

An American Tail the Musical will play from April 25 – June 18, 2023 at CTC’s UnitedHealth Group Stage (2400 Third Avenue South Minneapolis MN 55404). Opening Night is Saturday, April 29 at 7pm. Tickets may be purchase online at childrenstheatre.org/ AmericanTail or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400.

Ticket prices start at $15. “We are thrilled to bring this World Premiere adaptation of the beloved film An American Tail to the stage,” said Peter C. Brosius, Artistic Director of Children’s Theatre Company. “The work of the incredible creative team of Itamar Moses, Michael Mahler, Alan Schmuckler all led by the amazing Taibi Magar has

been a joy to watch. The team has brought great humor and a huge heart to the story of little Fievel Mousekowitz as he searches for his family and finds his own way in a new land. It will inspire you, move you and leave you singing. We can’t wait to share it with the world.”

“It is a tremendous honor to be directing this piece,” said director Taibi Magar. “As a daughter of a political refugee, the story resonates with me just as much today as it did 30 years ago! The writers have done an exceptional job adapting it for the stage, a feast of theatricality and a gorgeous score!”

“I was nine years old when the original film came out, and so am of the exact generation on which it first imprinted itself as a classic, and so jumped at the chance to reengage with it,” said Itamar Moses, bookwriter and lyricist of An American Tail the Musical. “And then, as I did so, I was stunned by how urgent and relevant its core message still feels, and so I can’t wait to bring it to a new generation in this new form.”

“It’s a delight and very inspiring to revisit this classic film from our childhood and discover its themes of hope, perseverance and community are still so relevant today; and an honor to build on the work of the great James Horner, Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, to bring Fievel’s incredible journey to a whole new generation,” said composers and lyricists Michael Mahler and Alan Schmuckler.

The Adult Cast of An American Tail the Musical features Luverne Seifert* as Papa/Warren T. Rat, Becca Hart as Mama/Digit, Ryan London Levin as Tony, Kiko Laureano as Bridget, CTC Company Member Autumn Ness* as Gussie, Rue Norman as Moe/ Cherisse, Deidre Cochran as Henri, CTC Company Member Reed Sigmund* as Honest John, Morgen Chang as Qiujin Parent/Dance Captain, CTC Company Member Dean Holt* as German Landlord/ Official/Police, and Glenn E. Williams II as Ensemble.

The Student Cast of An American Tail the Musical

features Matthew Woody as Fievel, Lillian Hochman as Tanya/Orphan, Monica Xiong as Qiujin, Ines Mojica as Orphan/Ensemble, El Kost as Sigfried/Ensemble, Mabel Weismann as Stu/Ensemble, Anja Arora as Ensemble, Mari

Peterson-Hilleque as Ensemble, and Tic Trietler as Ensemble.

The Understudies for An American Tail the Musical (in alphabetical order) include: Jim Ahrens as Papa/Warren/Honest John Understudy, Samantha Buckley as Mama/Digit/Gussie Understudy, Morgen Chang as Henri Understudy, Adelyn

Frost as Student Cover 1, Max Kile as Tony/German Landlord Understudy, Sam Mandell as Fievel Understudy, Ines Mojica as Quijin Understudy/ Quijin Family Understudy, Junia

Morrow as Student Cover

3, Rue Norman as Bridget

Understudy, Mabel Weismann as Tanya Understudy, and Glenn E. Williams II as

Moe/Cherisse Understudy.

In addition to Mr.

Moses, Mr. Mahler, Mr. Schmuckler (who also serves as Orchestrator) , Ms. Grody, Ms. Spelman, and Ms. Magar, the Creative Team and Production

Staff for An American Tail the Musical includes Jason Sherwood (Scenic Designer), Trevor Bowen (Costume

Designer), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (Lighting Designer), Katharine Horowitz (Sound Designer), Christopher Lutter-Gardella (Puppet Designer), Talvin Wilks (Dramaturg), Keely Wolter (Dialect Coach), Victor Zupanc (Associate Music Supervisor/

Conductor), Jason Hansen (Copyist), Emma Lai (Assistant Director), Emily Madigan (Assistant Choreographer), Ellie Simonett (Assistant Lighting Designer), Sten Severson (Associate Sound Designer), Jenny Friend* (Stage Manager), Kathryn Sam Houkom* (Assistant Stage Manager / Stage Manager), Z Makila* (Assistant Stage Manager), Cortney Gilliam (Stage Management Fellow/PA), and Jiccarra N. Hollman (Stage Management Fellow/PA).

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the union of professional actors and stage managers.

Ticket Information Tickets to An American Tail the Musical may be purchase online at childrenstheatre.org/ AmericanTail or by calling the ticket office at 612.874.0400.

Ticket prices start at $15. School groups interested in attending An American Tail the Musical can contact schools@ childrenstheatre.org for more information. This production is best enjoyed by all ages. Lap passes are available for children 3 years and younger.

UnitedHealth Group Stage Best for all ages A Children’s Theatre Company Commissioned World Premiere Production In association with Universal Theatrical Group

Kaitlin Randolph

by WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE directed by JOSEPH

Brett Buckner to lead Friends of the Children Twin Cities chapter

Friends of the Children, a national nonprofit that pairs children who face multiple systemic obstacles with a paid, professional mentor called a Friend for 12+ years, announced today that they are launching a Friends of the ChildrenTwin Cities chapter and have named Minneapolis resident Brett Buckner as the executive director.

“We are thrilled at the opportunity for our community to benefit from the impact of this 30-year-old longterm mentorship model,” said Buckner. “Thanks to extensive community support, each child in our program will have a Friend for 12+ years—no matter what—to walk alongside them through the ups and downs, and everything in between. Together we can support the bright futures of youth who are facing a lot of challenges and also deserve to experience hope and joy.”

Sunday, May 7 at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts

The Kanneh-Masons at Schubert Club

140th anniversary celebration concert

In celebration of its 140th year, Schubert Club will present a special Anniversary concert by The Kanneh-Masons on Sunday, May 7, 2023, at the Ordway Music Theater.

The seven United Kingdom-based siblings, ranging in age from 13 to 26, have won many prizes and awards for their musicianship and have made their mark both individually and as a family. The siblings and their parents also host their own radio show on Classic FM, The KannehMason Family Takeover, which launched in February of 2023.

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, where his performance was greeted with universal excitement. Since then, Sheku has performed widely and too much acclaim, including at the BBC Proms. His sister, pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, rivals his renown, having received the 2021 Leonard Bernstein Award and reaching No 1 on the UK’s Classical Chart with her Decca release Romance – The Piano Music of Clara Schumann.

Schubert Club audiences will remember Sheku and Isata from their unforgettable International Artist Series duo recitals in 2019, and from Isata’s solo appearances in 2022. This concert will mark the first time all seven siblings from Nottingham, England, will perform together in the United States, and includes a varied program ranging from wellknown works by Brahms and Mendelssohn, to the KannehMasons own arrangements of Bob Marley and Fiddler on the Roof.

On the morning

Monday, May 8, the KannehMasons will meet with Minneapolis and Saint Paul Public School students in the Weyerhaeuser Auditorium at the Landmark Center for performance and Q&A sessions.

Ticket Details:

Sunday, May 7 at 3:00 p.m.: Tickets start at $36 Tickets are still available for both performances and can purchased online at schubert.org or by calling the Schubert Club Ticket Office at

KANNEH-MASONS 4

Brooklyn Park City Council report

By Annabel Kamalu Contributing Writer

In response to public comments regarding code enforcement, including a 2020 CCX News interview in which residents asked for increased code enforcements, resident Steve Marsoleck talked about the previous year’s action on this matter. An ongoing concern was the lack of personnel to effectively enforce city codes.

Resident Collete

Hamper said that many residents are concerned about property assessment and taxes. She made a request for formal equal opportunities in education, for both kids and adults. She said the legislature requires the school district to support low-income residents, senior programming and programming for the disabled. Hamper questioned how tax revenues were being allocated. She said Brooklyn Park has three times the number of residents, than some nearby municipalities so there should be more services than are currently provided. On another matter, Hamper said Brooklyn Park has authorized 45 Cannabis licenses, a number she described as far too huge considering the escalating drug usage.

The Council introduced four new employees with the following responsibilities:

Community Development: Seng MouaProgram assistant who will serve as Economic Development Authority (EDA) secretary

Police: Alison Arneson- Program Assistant II, Front Counter Clerk Recreation and Parks: Michelle Chang - Community events specialist

Finance: Grant Halonen - Commercial Appraiser II

The Council recognized and thanked the outgoing commissioners for their work and contribution to Brooklyn Park: Syed Husain Planning Commission, Monica Dillenburg, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission, Maggie Borer, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission, and Christy Sandberg, Recreation and Parks Advisory Commission

610 Corridor Development Study Scope Paul Mogush, Brooklyn Park Planning and Development Director, announced a 6-month study in the North of 610 and West of 169. They will study strategies that contribute to development between 2030 to 2040.

Tasks identified in Brooklyn Park includeTour suburban communities and high-density residential settings

Do baseline exercises on North of 610 and West of 169; putting in place infrastructure and having detailed planning for development.

In the Gateway Area, work with Real Estate Equities on their multifamily housing proposal and engage with St. Vincent DePaul Catholic Church on their development plans. In the Oak Grove Station Area, re-engage with Target Corporation on their future plan for the area, learn from the existing Transit Oriented Development (TOD) that is already in place. For Business Park Properties, ensure the land is developed efficiently, look at the land uses to ensure they are of high value, as well as recommend changes to the zoning district requirements.

610-Zane - engage with the community on the next version on the area’s future vision. Also, create 3 development scenarios for the remaining developable land in this area, then conduct a financial feasibility of each of the concept. The scope’s timeline runs from the date of the meeting (April 10th to November.)

Central District Council Member Boyd Morson asked about the transportation details on the 610-Zane. In response, Paul Mogush said the ongoing work to ensure the automobile systems support development in the area. However, he agreed there are other considerations to be made, and more work still in store.

After the responses, the council members approved the 610 development study scope and directed staff to conduct the study.

Land Use Application for Decatur North and South Apartments

Real Estate Equities had applied for a zoning text and map amendment. Last month, the planning commission and staff recommended approval of the following four applications; Rezoning, Preliminary Plat, Condition Use Permit, Site Plan at the Northeast Quadrant of Jefferson Highway North and Decatur Drive North Council member Morson wanted to know how they will address the issue of parking in the units for the residents. The company said that the parking ratio is around 1.8:1.8 parking spaces per unit, for both the surface parking and parking underneath, a number accommodating visitors.

Friends of the Children-Twin Cities will begin working with children ages 4 to 6 in Hennepin and Ramsey counties who identify as Black and Indigenous and have been impacted by systems like child welfare or the justice system. Each child selected will be paired with a Friend whose fulltime job is to spend four hours a

week with each child holistically – at school, at home and in the community. Friends will support youth and, by extension their families, building trusting relationships through a traumainformed lens that provides critical social, emotional and academic support.

“We have taken great care to build strong relationships with community, government, nonprofit organizations and business leaders from across Hennepin and Ramsey counties to successfully launch Friends of the Children-Twin Cities,” says Buckner. “We’re excited to partner with child wellbeing leaders throughout our

By Brett Buckner Guest Commentary

It’s an accepted fact that many innovative state development projects which will improve the lives of residents require some of their funding to come from taxpayers. Most of the time, the increases are marginal and diversely spread throughout the taxpayer population, so no one feels too much of a burden.

Unfortunately for Minnesota residents, this is not one of those times.

A controversial bill is currently making its way through the state legislature, seeking to add a 75 cent tax to every delivery made in the state; whether it be food, groceries, retail goods, an Amazon package, or a custom made good from a small business. This tax is applied unilaterally to all deliveries - it doesn’t matter if a millionaire or a struggling single mother is making the purchase, both parties will pay the same 75 cent tax. This applies to the quantity of goods

as well - ordering either a family size sofa or a paperback book will both incur the same tax.

The motivation behind this bill is that the tax has the potential to generate over $120 million by 2027 according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue, which would go towards funding for road and transportation projects. But this sizable amount is meaningless when it is money taken directly from the hands of people who need it the most. The individuals that rely on grocery, food, and household item deliveries are not the upper middle class families we may be thinking of. In fact, it is typically historically underserved and minority communities which depend the most on delivery services and would be the most severely affected by such a tax. This is because underserved communities typically lack quality grocery and retail stores, and as such community members may find it easier to have these necessities

Jake Turney Kanneh-Masons

need

but this isn’t the way to do

Minneapolis to pay $8.9M over Chauvin’s actions before Floyd

The city of Minneapolis agreed Thursday to pay nearly $9 million to settle lawsuits filed by two people who said former police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into their necks years before he used the same move to kill George Floyd.

John Pope Jr. will receive $7.5 million and Zoya Code will receive $1.375 million. The settlements were announced during a meeting of the Minneapolis City Council.

Both lawsuits stemmed from arrests in 2017 — three years before Chauvin killed Floyd during an arrest captured on video that sparked protests worldwide, prompted a national reckoning on racial injustice and compelled a Minneapolis Police Department overhaul.

At a news conference

Thursday, Mayor Jacob Frey apologized to all victims of Chauvin and said that if police supervisors “had done the right thing, George Floyd would not have been murdered.”

“He should have been fired in 2017. He should have been held accountable in 2017,” Frey told reporters.

Both lawsuits named Chauvin and several other officers. The lawsuits alleged police misconduct, excessive force, and racism — Pope and Code are Black; Chauvin

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651.292.3268.

Press Resources:

A limited number of tickets are available for reviewers. Please contact Kristina MacKenzie to arrange for press tickets.

More Concert

Info: https://schubert.org/ event/140th-anniversarycelebration/

About the Kanneh-Masons

The Kanneh-Masons are seven brothers and sisters ranging in age from 26 to 13 years’ old all of whom play either violin, piano or cello. They have

is white. They also said the city knew that Chauvin had a record of misconduct but didn’t stop him. Criminal charges in both cases were eventually dropped, but Chauvin is in prison for Floyd’s murder.

Bob Bennett, an attorney for Pope and Code, noted that other officers failed to intervene or report Chauvin, and police leaders allowed Chauvin to keep working even though they had video evidence from body cameras of his wrongdoing. He said the video is expected to be released soon.

“The easy thing is to blame Chauvin for everything,” Bennett said in a written statement. “The important thing that the video shows is that none of those nine to a dozen officers at the scene ever reported it, ever tried to stop it. They violated their own policy and really any sense of humanity.”

Police Chief Brian O’Hara said the department is “forced to reckon once again with the deplorable acts of someone who has proven to be a national embarrassment.” But he also cited “systemic failure” within the police department.

“I am appalled at the repetitive behavior of this coward and disgusted by the inaction and acceptance of that behavior by members of this department. Such conduct is a disgrace to the badge and an embarrassment to what is truly a very noble profession,” O’Hara said in a statement.

won many prizes and awards and appeared in numerous television shows; the five eldest performed at the Bafta awards in 2018 and all seven appeared in the December 2019 Royal Variety Show. In October 2020, they released their first album Carnival on Decca Classics to great critical acclaim and in May 2021 received the Global Award for Best Classical Artist. All the children attend or have attended London’s Royal Academy of Music and its Primary and Junior Academies, except pianist Jeneba who has progressed to London’s Royal College of Music for her undergraduate studies.

They were raised in Nottingham, England by parents Stuart Mason, a business executive and Dr. Kadiatu

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Code, who has a history of homelessness and mental health problems, was arrested in June 2017 after she allegedly tried to strangle her mother with an extension cord.

Pope was 14 in September 2017 when, according to his lawsuit, Chauvin subjected him to excessive force while responding to a domestic assault report.

City Council member Elliott Payne said he hoped the settlements “bring some closure to this era and is a stark reminder of the work we have lying ahead.”

The lawsuits said body camera recordings showed Chauvin used many of the same tactics on Pope and Code that he used on Floyd. Chauvin was sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison on a state murder charge in 2021 for killing Floyd by pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for 9 1/2 minutes as he pleaded that he couldn’t breathe. The city also paid $27 million to Floyd’s family.

Code’s lawsuit said she was in handcuffs when Chauvin slammed her head to the ground and pinned his knee on the back of her neck for 4 minutes and 41 seconds. A second officer didn’t intervene and a responding police sergeant approved the force, the lawsuit stated.

Pope’s lawsuit said his mother was drunk when she called police because she was upset that he and his 16-yearold sister left their cellphone chargers plugged in, leading to a physical confrontation. It alleged

Kanneh, a former university lecturer. Both parents played musical instruments to a high standard but never pursued professional careers. Born in Sierra Leone but moving to Wales as a young girl, Kadiatu lectured in English at the University of Birmingham, while Stuart, both of whose parents were born in Antigua, was born in London and works for a luxury experiential travel company. Oneworld published Dr Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason’s inspiring memoir entitled: House of Music – Raising the KannehMasons in September 2020. Sheku and the family have been the subject of a number of documentaries, including CBS Sunday Morning, BBC FOUR’s Young, Gifted and Classical and more recently, opening BBC One’s 2020 Imagine series with a uniquely produced lockdown film entitled This House is Full of Music.

About Isata Kanneh-Mason

Pianist Isata KannehMason is in great demand internationally as a soloist

Insight News is published weekly, every Monday by McFarlane Media Interests.

Editor-In-Chief Al McFarlane

Publisher Batala-Ra McFarlane

Associate Editor & Associate Publisher B.P. Ford

Culture and Education Editor Dr. Irma McClaurin,

John Pope tells FRONTLINE & the Star Tribune what he remembers from his 2017 encounter with former Minneapolis police officer Derek

Chauvin struck Pope in the head with a large metal flashlight at least four times. It says he then put Pope in a chokehold before pinning him to the floor and putting his knee on Pope’s neck. “Chauvin would proceed to hold John in this prone position for more than fifteen minutes, all while John was completely subdued and not resisting,” the complaint alleged. “Over those minutes,

and chamber musician. She offers eclectic and interesting repertoire, with her recital programmes encompassing music from Haydn and Mozart, via Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, Chopin and Brahms, to Gershwin and beyond. In concerto, she is equally at home in Felix Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, whose piano concerto featured on Isata’s chart-topping debut recording, as in Prokofiev and Dohnányi.

About Braimah Kanneh-Mason Braimah KannehMason is a dynamic and versatile young violinist. He has performed throughout the UK, Europe, USA and the Caribbean. An avid chamber musician, Braimah is a member of the Kanneh-Mason Piano Trio, Cassadó Ensemble and Kaleidoscope Collective. He has performed at venues and festivals such as the BBC Proms, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Kings Place, Highgate International Chamber Music Festival, Leicester International

John repeatedly cried out that he could not breathe.”

The complaint alleged that at least eight other officers did nothing to intervene. It said Chauvin did not mention in his report that he had hit Pope with his flashlight, nor did he mention pinning Pope for so long. Chauvin’s sergeant reviewed and approved his report and use of force “despite having firsthand knowledge

Chamber Music Festival and collaborated with artists such as Nicola Benedetti, Tom Poster and Priya Mitchell. Braimah is a passionate advocate for equal opportunity and diversity in music education and is a Junior Ambassador for Music in Secondary Schools Trust (MiSST). He has been a mentor at Sistema England, Junior Music Works and a violin tutor for consecutive years at the Antigua Music Camp. He is currently an artist in residence at Brighton College.

About Sheku Kanneh-Mason

Sheku Kanneh-Mason is already in great demand from major orchestras and concert halls worldwide. He became a household name in 2018 after performing at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex at Windsor Castle, his performance having been greeted with universal excitement after being watched by nearly two billion people globally. Sheku initially garnered renown as the winner of the 2016 BBC Young Musician competition, and subsequently became a Decca Classics recording artist. His latest album, Song, showcases his lyrical playing with a wide selection of arrangements and collaborations. Sheku’s 2020 album Elgar reached No. 8 in the main UK Official Album Chart, making him the first ever cellist to reach the UK Top 10. Sheet music collections of his performance repertoire along with his own arrangements and compositions are published by Faber.

About Konya Kanneh-Mason Konya KannehMason is 21 years old and holds The Gilling Family Scholarship at The Royal Academy of Music, studying piano with Tessa Nicholson. She also plays violin. Konya has performed in concerts around the UK and in the Caribbean, including at The BAFTAs, 2018 and at the 2021 BBC Proms at The Royal Albert Hall with her family, performing Saint-Saëns Carnival of the Animals and Revel by Daniel Kidane.

About Jeneba Kanneh-Mason Jeneba KannehMason is nineteen years old and holds the Victoria Robey Scholarship to The Royal College of Music, studying piano with Vanessa Latarche.

About Aminata Kanneh-Mason

About Mariatu Kanneh-Mason Mariatu is twelve years old and attends Trinity Catholic School in Nottingham. She studies cello with Ben Davies, and piano with Fiona Harris at Primary Royal Academy of Music. She has Grade 8 distinction on the cello

that the report was false and misleading,” the lawsuit alleged. Chauvin admitted to many of Pope’s allegations when he pleaded guilty in December 2021 to federal charges for violating the civil rights of both Floyd and Pope. He was sentenced in July to 21 years on those charges. Chauvin is serving his sentences in a federal prison in Arizona.

and on piano and she is working towards her piano diploma.

About Schubert Club:

Since 1893, Schubert Club has invited the world’s great recital soloists and ensembles to the Twin Cities and has promoted the superb musical talents of our community through performances, education, and museum programs. One of the first arts organizations in the country, Schubert Club remains today one of the nation’s most vibrant, relevant, and respected music organizations.

Schubert Club’s International Artist Series has presented many of the world’s great recitalists including Jascha Heifetz, Arthur Rubinstein, Cecilia Bartoli, Isaac Stern, Beverly Sills, Dietrich FischerDieskau, Leontyne Price, YoYo Ma, and Renée Fleming to name a few. In 2014, Schubert Club introduced Schubert Club Mix, its conventionbreaking performance series in nontraditional venues.

Additional series include the Music in the Park Series, which presents chamber music in the St. Anthony Park neighborhood, Accordo, a string collective comprising current and former members of the Minnesota Orchestra and The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, and a free weekly lunchtime Courtroom Concert series at the Landmark Center in downtown St. Paul featuring Minnesota-based artists and composers.

Not only a concert presenter, Schubert Club has engaged in music education programs since 1911. Schubert Club currently reaches two thousand youth annually through varied activities such as KidsJam music workshops, Project CHEER free music lessons in neighborhood locations, master classes and scholarship awards that allow students to pursue their music studies more intensively.

The recently renovated Schubert Club Music Museum, located in historic Landmark Center, holds two exciting new interactive galleries - the Music Makers Zone, where visitors can explore, discover and create music with instruments from around the globe, and Keyboard Journey Gallery, an immersive focus on the sights and sounds of Schubert Club’s keyboard collection - from a 16th century spinet to iconic 20th century electro-mechanical keyboard instruments like the Fender Rhodes piano and the Hammond organ. Composer letters from the Gilman Ordway Manuscript Collection are also on display together with a selection of historical music players that brought music into the home. For more information, visit schubert.org.

Chauvin.

James Burroughs: Doing the work

(SPONSORED CONTENT)

James Burroughs seeks to strike a work-life balance between his job at Children’s Minnesota, caring for a 10-year-old daughter, and his commitment to give back.

He plays a major role at Children’s: Senior Vice President of Government Community Relations and Chief Equity and Inclusion

Officer. He’s also been deeply involved with the founding of the Minnesota Business Coalition for Racial Equity (MBCRE), formed in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in May 2020. While no shortage of entities expressed early outrage and a desire to foster change after the tragedy, many have already left the table.

“It’s the history of this country for people to be motivated by crisis,” says Burroughs. “The closer you are to one, the more motivated people are, and the further away you get from it, the signal seems to fade.”

Through the participation of 50-plus member organizations, MBCRE has been stepping up to lead a number of initiatives, such as the First Independence Bank Deposit Challenge. The goal of it is to increase community investment in a Minority Deposit Institution that, in turn, invests in community by offering mortgages and loans.

There’s the MBCRE program with The Partnership that’s training a cohort of mid-level Black managers. And there’s a new, weekly MBCRE policy newsletter, which partners with local Black-owned press to

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community to help us identify and support children and families who stand to benefit most from the support of a Friend.”

Outcomes for Black and Indigenous children in Minnesota are some of the most inequitable in the country, particularly related to child welfare system involvement, education, access to mental health, homelessness and geographic segregation. On any given day in Hennepin County, approximately 150 children ages 4 to 6—the age at which children will enter the Friends of the ChildrenTwin Cities program—are in foster care. In 2021, 72 children ages 4 to 6 were reunified with their families. The pandemic exacerbated mental health challenges for young people across the state, with Minnesota students reporting higher rates of anxiety and depression than at any other time in history.

Family instability, trauma and behavioral health challenges are proven to affect long-term health and education outcomes for young people. Friends of the Children says it is possible to both prevent adversity and reduce the overall impact of

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delivered. Studies have proven time and time again that ‘food deserts’ - areas lacking access to affordable, nutritious foodare more likely to be located in communities of color. One study even found that one in every five Black US households is located in a food desert.

People earning a low income often have multiple jobs with long shift times, which means they do not have the time to drive to different communities to go grocery shopping. Delivery presents a much more convenient and even affordable option when you consider the opportunity cost of taking the time to shop in a different neighborhood.

Furthermore, elderly populations along with those suffering from disabilities or mobility issues, are heavily

send out updates on the current Minnesota Legislative session.

IN THE BEGINNING

Burroughs was first recruited to help found the MBCRE by his colleague James Momon, who led Global Inclusion at General Mills, and is now Chief Equity Officer at 3M.

“This tragedy happened in our backyard and James said, we gotta do better in this space of diversity and inclusion,” recalled Burroughs. As colleagues, they imagined the state’s business community being more responsive to the underlying disparities that Floyd’s murder had laid bare.

Burroughs served as one of the MBCRE tri-chairs alongside allies, Reba Dominski of U.S. Bank, and Lee Anderson of General Mills. The three met weekly with other leaders from the Twin Cities as part of an allvolunteer operation. Shawntera Hardy served as interim director, until Tiffani Daniels came aboard in 2021 as managing director. She’s an executive on loan from General Mills.

“We talked about what needed to get done,” said Burroughs, “narrowing it down to philanthropy, economic development, and public safety.”

Initially, more than 70 large and small businesses and nonprofits joined the MBCRE, including Children’s Minnesota, U.S. Bank, Target and General Mills.

“One thing that stood out right away is that Minneapolis might not have looked like the best city to move to if you were Black,” Burroughs observed. “It looked

trauma. The organization says two main ways recommended by experts are connecting youth to caring adults and building core life skills. Friends of the Children does both.

“I am humbled at the opportunity to serve as the chair of the board of Friends of the Children-Twin Cities. I was incredibly privileged to serve as a former Friend myself through the Friends-New York City chapter,” said Kyrra Rankine, Friends of the Children-Twin Cities Board Chair. “To see Friends of the Children open a chapter in Minnesota truly brings this full circle for me. I experienced firsthand the impact Friends could have on the lives of children and families who are already incredibly strong and need more support to overcome those systemic barriers that stand in their way. I’m particularly excited to be working alongside Brett – his leadership and dedication to our community will be transformative as we grow the Twin Cities chapter of Friends of the Children.”

Several notable funders and leaders in the area have been instrumental in bringing the chapter to the Twin Cities, including the Edward R. Bazinet Charitable Foundation, Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, Carlson Family Foundation, and the Sauer Family Foundation.

A third-party

dependent on delivery to meet their daily needs. Data from the third party delivery app DoorDash showed that 13% of people who use the app to order food for delivery have a disability, chronic illness, or mobility issues. Not to mention that these deliveries often contain necessities like toilet paper or grocery items, but may also include prescription medications. This population has little to no choice but to have their products delivered, especially when it comes to essential medication. Taxing them isn’t just unfair: it’s wrong.

Another factor worth considering is how this tax will impact Minnesota’s small businesses, who are finding it more and more difficult to compete with large, corporate chains with record inflation, dismal workforce numbers, and the threat of a looming recession. Delivery allows small businesses to reach more customers, especially when they advertise on online platforms.

like a concentration of Black men, mostly unarmed, had perished at the hands of local police. So potential talent might think: ‘I don’t want to come to a state where this is happening to a particular population and they’re not addressing it.’”

Burroughs said it made the coalition ask itself, “What responsibility does the MBCRE have to help improve conditions, so that Minnesota is a better place for people to move, start or continue their careers, and also feel valued?”

JOBS BUILD COMMUNITIES

“Black people with living-wage jobs contribute to the economic viability of neighborhoods, and people investing in their communities helps narrow disparities. So we said, ‘Okay,

evaluation of Friends of the Children program graduates showed that:

92% of graduates go on to enroll in post-secondary education, serve our country or enter the workforce

83% of youth obtain a high school diploma or GED

93% remain free from juvenile justice system involvement

98% wait to parent until after their teen years

Before joining Friends of the Children-Twin Cities, Buckner, a thirdgeneration Minnesotan and a lifelong resident of North Minneapolis, served as the managing director for Onemn. org, a network dedicated to shared sustainable prosperity and the advancement of equity in Minnesota. During that time, Buckner helped form the Seeds To Harvest network, a program of Onemn.org that mobilized 80+ organizations and hundreds of volunteers in response to communal challenges to support children and families. Buckner’s commitment to equity, engagement, and empowerment is demonstrated through nearly 25 years of policy action to close the “gaps” that hinder the community.

Friends of the Children is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year with extensive expansion efforts.

The nationwide Friends of

In fact, a good number of online businesses only have online shops with no brick and mortar presence. This tax will encourage consumers to shop at conventional ‘big box’ stores to avoid added fees rather than helping struggling small businesses who need the support most.

Rep. Erin Koegel (D-39A) attempts to understand the uproar against this legislation by saying that she herself will be heavily impacted, as she admits to ordering around 5 deliveries a week from Amazon alone, which would cost her $200 annually if the bill were to be implemented. But the people who will be hurt most by this aren’t state legislators, to whom losing $200 isn’t even close to a mild setback. The people hurt the most will be people from marginalized communities, people with disabilities, small business owners fighting to stay in business amidst economic insecurity: these are the people who will end up getting hurt.

let’s make that a priority.’”

The coalition has also made its presence felt at the Minnesota State Legislature, supporting such issues as raising standards for policing and speaking out in favor of the recently passed CROWN Act.

In his role at Children’s Minnesota, Burroughs is responsible for advancing equity and inclusion across the organization, as well as leading advocacy, government affairs and community relations.

One aspect of his work is Community Connect, which goes beyond the doctor’s office, to look at other determinants of health, from housing, to food security, to gun safety.

“Last year, in partnership with other community organizations, we held a successful gun buy-back

the Children footprint now includes 26 chapters located in 32 sites across 19 states and Tribal sovereign nations. The organization is supported by Friends of the Children Ambassador Simone Biles

program. It was an opportunity for people to turn in their firearms with no questions asked, have them disposed of by the proper law-enforcement authorities, and get a gift card,” he said, adding: “The goal there is to get more guns off the street for a safer environment.”

TIME WITH FAMILY For years Burroughs, who is a Morehouse grad and has a law degree from Georgetown University, held a variety of jobs from nonprofit general counsel, trial attorney, to being Governor Mark Dayton’s first chief inclusion officer.

Though Burroughs no longer practices law, he says, “I want to make sure that those who are underserved get served by those in political office.”

During winter months, he enjoys traveling to

and recently received a $44 million gift from renowned philanthropist MacKenzie Scott. Friends of the Children–Twin Cities is in the process of identifying senior leadership to work alongside its executive

sunnier climates where he can get in a few rounds of golf. He also enjoys hanging out with his daughter, Teresa, who’ll turn 11 in May. She’s a fan of ice skating and drawing. “She forces me to draw with her, but she’s a much better artist than I am. We also watch a lot of Anime movies,” said Burroughs. As the ice thaws and the season transitions to spring, the third anniversary of George Floyd’s murder is fast approaching in late May. “We shouldn’t be waiting for a crisis to say, ‘Hey, this is what we need to do.’ Business should always reflect our values and our core. And yet,” he said, “sometimes it’s just true that it takes a crisis to get us going.”

director and board. The organization will begin hiring Friends whose full-time jobs will be to support youth one on one in the Twin Cities area. Go to friendsofthechildren.org to learn more.

SUNDAY, MAY 14 SOUTHSIDE ACES 11:30AM

MOTHER’S DAY DINNER • KEIKO MATSUI 7PM

GOGO PENGUIN w/ special guest Melanie Charles Acoustic-Electronica Trio

MAY 6

ON & ON: JOSÉ JAMES SINGS BADU Music of Erykah Badu

MAY 8- 9

RONNIE FOSTER Organ Groove Master

MAY 11

PETER ROWAN BLUEGRASS BAND Bluegrass & Roots Legend

MAY 13

KAVYESH KAVIRAJ QUINTET Dynamic Modern Jazz

MAY 15

STORM LARGE Baddest Girl in Cabaret

MAY 7

BILLY CHILDS QUARTET feat. SEAN JONES Giant of Jazz Piano

MAY 10

SOPHIE B. HAWKINS Powerful Pop Storytelling

MAY 12

KEIKO MATSUI Euphoric Contemporary Jazz

MAY 14

KARRIN ALLYSON – BRAZILIAN NIGHTS Sass & Class Vocal Jazz

MAY 16

photo/MBCRE

James Burroughs, Senior Vice President of Government Community Relations and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Children’s Minnesota, served as one of the MBCRE tri-chairs.

2. That the Governor hold his appointed State Commissioners and the state departments they lead accountable for measurable and reportable processes and strategies to eliminate disparities that exist in and that are supported by policies and procedures of state governance.

3. That the Minnesota Legislature prioritize intentional solution making that can occur when Legislators, Committee Chairs and Committees engage Minnesota’s Black community at the table of decision.

4. Housing Invest now in multiple housing options for the Black community to close the home ownership gap.

Multiple housing options are an important part of any community. It provides a safe and affordable place for people to live and can help reduce poverty and homelessness. However, there are many challenges associated with providing low-income housing, such as limited resources, high demand, and the need to ensure that the housing is safe and secure. Minneapolis has one of the widest homeownership gaps in the country between whites and Blacks.

new businesses among all races do not receive any outside investors. Most people use the equity in their homes to start their firms. This is a huge disadvantage to Black folks in Minnesota because of the home ownership gap. Further, the report stated that minority owned businesses experience higher loan denial probabilities and pay higher interest rates than white-owned businesses even after controlling for differences in credit-worthiness, and other factors. Limited access to investment capital in its many forms is inextricably linked to systemic discrimination in lending, housing, and employment. It cripples Black business development.

2. Employment Invest now in creating employment opportunities for the Black community

In an article published by the Urban Institute, the issue of Black employment was addressed.

It stated that, “while many are heralding the drop in the national Black male unemployment rate, which recently fell below 10 percent for the first time in seven years, joblessness remains much higher in many poor African American communities. It stated that for many low-income Black men, finding and keeping work is a constant struggle, never far from their minds. Black job applicants might not even make it into the queue if they have had an encounter with the criminal justice system. Helping Black folks secure steady employment at decent wages will require resources to break down the institutional barriers that separate people from decent job opportunities and to enable Black people to build the skills needed for well-paying jobs

3. Public Safety

Invest now in Public Safety in the Black community.

Public safety exists to protect citizens, organizations, and communities by preventing them from being in danger and guarding their well-being. Abraham Maslow defined safety in his famous “Hierarchy of Human Needs“. He said that to function as a society public safety is needed. He said this safety goes beyond just physical safety but also safety when it comes to health, money, possessions, and family. Less we forget, there’s an Emotional Impact on Public Safety. When folks feel unsafe, it could have major effects on individuals, their loved ones, and the community they live in. Violence has been way to prevalent in the inner cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Playgrounds are unsafe, the streets are unsafe, and the shopping malls are unsafe.

5. Education

Invest now in ensuring that our Black students are educated at the same level as White students.

Dr. Sinclair Grey lll stated that education is without a doubt crucial to the success of our students competing for jobs. Quality education that enforces and reinforces math, science, writing, and cognitive thinking will separate those who desire a prosperous future from those who are simply content with getting by. Yet, in Minnesota, reading test scores for Black students are over 20 points below state average and math test scores are 20 points below state average. Minnesota ranks 50th in the nation for Black students who graduate on time. Minnesota has one of the worst college-readiness gaps in the nation by race and ethnicity – only 25% of Black students are prepared for college. Thus, Black students who attend college must take significantly more remedial courses than their peers as their starting point.

6. Health & Wellness

Invest now in efforts that will impact the health and wellness of the Black community.

The Black community is faced with escalating social, economic, and life-style problems, which threaten the life and well-being of current and future generations of Black people in crisis proportion. The rising number of deaths due to heart disease and stroke, homicide and accidents related to substance abuse, AIDS, cancer, and infant mortality are among the leading culprits. They interfere with prospects of longevity and contribute to joblessness, poverty, and homelessness and further complicate the crisis in the Black community. The magnitude of the problems dictates the need for support from the Minnesota State Legislature.

7. Policy Each member of the legislature, regardless of political affiliation, is involved in setting public policy. These policies should reflect the will of the people and is carried out by those elected to vote. Because of conflicting interests and capacities, some policies have disenfranchised the Black community. There is therefore a need for coherence of interest/capacities in an attempt to pass policies that reflect the needs of the Black community.

Every time another national “quality of life” is broadcast or published about the best places to live in the U.S., Minnesota and the Twin Cities always rank at or near the top. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson once referred to this as the miracle of Minneapolis.” Likewise, every time those lists are parsed out further, the state and the metro fall all the way to the bottom when it comes to quality of life measures for Black people, or, what some have called the “Two Minnesotas.” But to ensure that all those in our state have the opportunity to thrive, we cannot forget about the communities that have been systematically abused, persistently underrepresented, and long underserved.

Minnesota is now the seventh (7th) worst state in the country for Blacks to live. This dubious recognition alongside the May 2020 murder of George Floyd has brought the State into an era of racial reckoning and has put racial inequity at the center of the national conversation, and Minnesota on the racial map. Today Black folks are more than twice as likely as their white counterparts to live below the poverty line. Additionally, the typical Black household earns just 63 cents for every dollar a typical white household earns, and African American workers are more than twice as likely to be unemployed as white workers.

Using data from the U.S. Census Bureau, 24/7 Wall St. created an index to measure socioeconomic disparities between Black and white Americans to identify the worst states for Black Americans. High on the list of cities that have extremely troubling disparities is Minneapolis-St. Paul. Minnesota’s urban core boast these disturbing rates:

• Black population: 290,210 (8.2% of total)

• Black median income: $36,127 (44.0% of white income)

• Unemployment: 9.2% (Black); 3.2% (white)

• Homeownership rate: 25.2% (Black); 75.5% (white)

• Black poverty rate of 28.3% in the metro area, 5.9% (white)

• Black medium household earn $36,127 a year — the median income among white area households is $82,118.

The profound racial wealth gaps for Blacks in Minnesota is structural, as they are across the United States. Structural racism is inherent in intersecting and overlapping institutions, policies, practices, ideas, and behaviors that give resources, rights, and power to white people while denying them to others. The roots of racial wealth gaps can be traced back centuries through racialized public and private policies and practices, which fueled economic boosts to white families that allowed for intergenerational wealth transfers and created barriers to Black families. Past discrimination and injustices accumulate and build across generations, making it hard for communities that have been harmed to catch up. As one example, the losses from unpaid wages and lost inheritances to Black descendants is estimated at around $20 trillion today. The NAACP Twin Cities 2019 Economic Inclusion Plan states: “There are two Minnesota’s, one white, one Black – separate and unequal.”

Data from the 2019 Prosperity Now Scorecard shows that 40% of Americans are liquid asset poor—meaning they do not have enough in savings to make ends meet at the poverty level for three months ($6,275 for a family of four in 2018). This problem is even more stark when disaggregated by race. 31.7% of white households are liquid-asset poor compared to over 62% of Black households.

Recent trends in Hennepin and Ramsey Counties are moving in the wrong direction. The share of Black families who own a home has declined from 31 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2018. The racial homeownership gap in the Twin Cities is the highest in the nation and has only widened over the past two decades, especially in neighborhoods where investors have acquired hundreds of single-family homes to now use as rentals, according to a June 2021 report from the Urban Institute.

Nothing can tear us apart

By: W.D. Foster-Graham Book Review Editor

SHATTERED (Nothing Can Tear Us Apart)

By Wyatt O’Brian Evans

Among his many talents, including that of journalist, columnist, and D.C. radio personality, Renaissance man Wyatt O’Brian Evans has written a series that has the onetwo punch of a daytime TV soap opera, in all the good ways. His latest installment in his Nothing Can Tear Us Apart series, Shattered, does not disappoint.

Wesley Laurence Kelly, SGL (same-genderloving) African American multimillionaire mogul, has had his share of ups and downs in his life. Being outed caused his career as a comedian and a talk show host to take a nosedive, but he bounced back by creating a media and entertainment conglomerate of his own, to even greater success. Later, he meets phyne Puerto Rican Antonio Miguel Rios, Jr., who becomes his bodyguard and later his partner (yes, it was desire at first sight). After successive failures when it came to his intimate relationships, things seem to be looking up for Wes.

One day, he receives an unexpected visitor: Waseem, the 17-year-old son he never knew existed, with a chip on his shoulder the size of a giant redwood and vindictive with a capital V. Waseem’s appearance in Wesley’s life brings back all the trauma he has gone through—intimate partner violence/abuse and mental health issues stemming from

Wyatt O’Brian Evans

childhood trauma. Add to that the seeds of doubt now planted in Wes and Antonio’s relationship. Firm in his belief that Wes abandoned him and his now deceased mother, Waseem is bent upon systematically breaking up Wes and Antonio, and destroying Wes by any means necessary. However, who will wind up shattered in the end?

When I read the acrimonious introduction of Waseem, I thought of that famous line from Bette Davis in the Oscar-winning movie

All About Eve: “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night.” Shattered has all the steam, hawtness, and humor which is a signature of Evans’ series, blended in with the serious issues of intimate partner violence/abuse, mental health issues and their

repercussions.

Like a film noir movie, the story is told largely in flashback, which successfully connects the previous two books in the series, Rage and Frenzy. In daytime drama, it is always easy and tempting to break up couples. Hence, the hardest thing for writers to do is to find ways to keep their couples together, and Evans has done so with great skill as Wes and Antonio overcome the challenges thrown at them from within and without.

Fasten your seat belts, readers, and get ready for Wes and Antonio’s greatest challenge yet!

Shattered is available through Amazon and www. wyattevans.com.

Thank you, Wyatt, for bringing compelling daytime drama to the printed page!

As we spend more time indoors, here are some important reminders: